


Court Me

by syriala



Category: Black Panther (2018), Iron Man (Movies)
Genre: Arc Reactor Issues, Flirting, Getting Together, Gifts, M/M, Nicknames, Oblivious Tony, courting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-17
Updated: 2017-10-17
Packaged: 2019-01-18 16:18:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12391692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/syriala/pseuds/syriala
Summary: “You and the king spent time in the workshop,” Rhodey told him with a very big grin and Tony frowned.“And?”“And the young king is very good looking. And he knows about his tech,” Rhodey said as if he was pointing out something obvious but Tony wasn’t getting it.“Aaaaaand?” Tony asked again because he was tired and just wanted to enjoy the movie they were watching.“And I believe he has been flirting with you,” Rhodey finally said when it became clear that Tony wouldn’t pick up on his meaning.Tony sat up from where he was lying on the couch. “Excuse me?”





	Court Me

Dealing with T’Challa after the whole mess with the Accords was easier than Tony would have thought.

Sure, T’Challa, and T’Chaka before him, had been for the Accords in the first place, but T’Challa was also housing the rogue Avengers and Tony wasn’t sure what to expect from him.

But T’Challa was nothing if not polite, and Tony tried to be the same in return. After all, T’Challa was a big force behind the Accords and Tony could need him in his corner if Ross suddenly decided that Tony belonged into the raft as well.

Tony was rubbing at the skin around the arc reactor, the cold always made it hurt, when T’Challa entered the conference room.

“Mr. Stark,” he greeted Tony and Tony almost flinched.

“Let’s stick to Tony, Mr. Stark was my father, King T’Challa,” he said and T’Challa thoughtfully tilted his head.

“Only if you can forget the king,” he gave back and Tony huffed.

“Nothing easier than that, Mufasa.” Tony wasn’t sure if the Lion King was a thing over in Wakanda, but going by the tilt to T’Challa’s mouth it definitely was.

“I think I am more Simba than Mufasa, wouldn’t you agree,” T’Challa said and proved Tony right.

“If you say so, Simba,” Tony replied with a smile and then stilled when T’Challa’s gaze fell onto his chest.

“Is it still hurting from the injury?” he asked and Tony forced himself to lower his hand.

He never liked it when the attention was on the arc reactor.

“Maybe. It just hurts sometimes,” he gave back, not willing to tell T’Challa that it was the injury and the cold and the reactor in general. He didn’t need to know that.

T’Challa obviously noticed Tony’s hesitation in talking about the reactor and thankfully dropped the matter.

They were talking about Rhodey and his recovery when the other members of the Accords came in and from then on it was only business with them.

~*~*~

Tony had the distinct feeling that Rhodey was teasing him and he wasn’t even sure what about.

“Rhodey, what?” he sighed when Rhodey gave him another eyebrow waggle.

“You and the king spent time in the workshop,” Rhodey told him with a very big grin and Tony frowned.

“And?”

“And the young king is very good looking. And he knows about his tech,” Rhodey said as if he was pointing out something obvious but Tony wasn’t getting it.

“Aaaaaand?” Tony asked again because he was tired and just wanted to enjoy the movie they were watching.

“And I believe he has been flirting with you,” Rhodey finally said when it became clear that Tony wouldn’t pick up on his meaning.

Tony sat up from where he was lying on the couch. “Excuse me?”

“He smiled at you. He indulged your tech talk. He brought you coffee,” Rhodey listed off and Tony shook his head.

“He is also very young like you said and a king. There’s nothing going on.”

“Not yet. But I believe there will be soon.”

“There won’t,” Tony grumbled but now that Rhodey mentioned it he couldn’t help but think about T’Challa’s latest visit.

It had very little to do with the Accords anymore; the new version was almost through and there wasn’t much to discuss anymore. T’Challa’s request for a visit had come at a surprise to Tony, but he had gladly agreed because T’Challa was good company and easy to be around, even though he was a king.

Tony cursed when he found that Rhodey might have been right with his assessment. Tony hadn’t thought about T’Challa like that but he knew that now it would be unavoidable.

“I hate you,” he told Rhodey, who just nodded and pulled him back down so that Tony could rest his head in Rhodey’s lap again.

“I know,” he said and then shushed Tony when he wanted to say something else.

~*~*~

“King Cat,” Tony greeted T’Challa when he dropped by for his next visit.

“I believe I told you to drop the king, Mr. Stark,” T’Challa mildly replied and Tony laughed.

“You’re objecting to the title you rightfully own, but accept the cat references. I think you are objecting to the wrong thing here,” Tony told him with a smile and then momentarily froze when T’Challa pulled him into a hug.

“No titles when I am here,” he said right next to Tony’s ear and his voice sent shivers through Tony.

Damn Rhodey for pointing out that T’Challa might be flirting with him.

“It’s good to see you,” T’Challa earnestly said when he let go of Tony again.

“It’s good to see you too,” Tony replied. “How are things in Wakanda?”

“Everything’s going very well. Your BARF is a great help,” T’Challa said without going into details. You never knew who was listening.

“How are the guests?” Tony asked and T’Challa raised an eyebrow.

“Extending their stay longer than I care for,” he gave back. “But I think they will be gone soon enough. And then I will be very happy to call you my guest.”

T’Challa had invited Tony to visit Wakanda months back, but Tony couldn’t bear to be in the same house than Steve and Bucky, maybe even see them. T’Challa had promised to only ask again when they were gone and if things with BARF and Bucky were really going well maybe that could be soon.

T’Challa had talked a lot about Wakanda and Tony couldn’t wait to see it.

“Good,” Tony replied and rubbed his chest.

The cold in New York was particularly biting this year and he felt it more than he would like. The skin around the reactor was always hurting now and Tony usually was colder than he would like, but keeping the arc reactor warm was hard work and he didn’t always have the time.

“What’s hurting you?” T’Challa asked him, gently touching his elbow to get his attention, and Tony immediately dropped the hand though he felt bad about it afterwards.

He trusted T’Challa and there was no reason to act like this around him, but Tony couldn’t help himself.

“It’s…nothing,” he weakly said and T’Challa raised an eyebrow at him.

“Let’s not talk about it,” Tony tried and T’Challa nodded.

“As you wish. How about you tell me how Friday comes along instead. Is she learning well?”

Tony gladly took this out and went into a rant on how well Friday was doing but that she was also evolving into being sassier than Jarvis ever had, simply because she lacked a good part of Jarvis’ good manners.

T’Challa was listening with rapt attention and halfway through his rant it hit Tony that Rhodey was the only one who ever spent this much attention to Tony and his tech ramble.

Tony stopped in the middle of his sentence and T’Challa turned to him, worry etched into his face.

“Is everything alright?” he carefully asked and Tony shrugged.

“Sure,” he weakly said and then tried to pick up where he left off but it was hard.

He was hyper aware of everything T’Challa did and said and he really wasn’t sure that he was flirting with him.

After all there was no reason for the young king to spend his energy on Tony when there no doubly were more acceptable suitors back in Wakanda.

So Rhodey was probably completely wrong with his assessment but the seed had taken root in Tony’s brain and it was making everything unnecessary awkward.

Tony realized that he had started to rub at his chest again, and that T’Challa was following the movement with his eyes. He hastily dropped the hand and instead nudged T’Challa towards the kitchen.

“You wanna eat?” he asked to get his mind off these thoughts.

Seeing T’Challa prepare food for him was barely helping the matter.

~*~*~

It was two months after their last meeting when T’Challa called him to let him know that his guests had left and he was happy to welcome Tony at any time.

Tony really didn’t have a reason to turn T’Challa down, not that he wanted to, and so three days later he and Rhodey were on a private jet.

T’Challa greeted them personally at the airport and even though he was more than polite to Rhodey it was clear that his focus was on Tony.

Rhodey gave Tony the eyebrow again when T’Challa had his back turned to him and Tony wanted to groan.

This was not helping at all.

Wakanda was beautiful and T’Challa took a great deal of his time to just show Tony and Rhodey around. First the palace and then the city as well. He never once complained and Tony had to admit he felt kinda special.

Tony was paying more attention to T’Challa than he maybe should, uncharacteristically nervous around him, and so it didn’t escape his attention that T’Challa regularly looked at his chest.

Tony wanted to bring it up, ask what exactly T’Challa was looking for, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Talking about the arc reactor was never easy and especially not after Steve almost broke it.

“So when are you going to show me all your awesome tech?” Tony asked to distract T’Challa from his chest.

“Ah, I see, that is the true reason you came here,” T’Challa teased him and the look he threw Tony was fond enough that Tony felt the telltale signs of a flush starting to creep up his neck.

“What else is there to see for me?” Tony asked, voice more serious than the occasion asked for but T’Challa took him seriously.

“I hoped that there were a lot of things you would enjoy here. My company included,” he softly said and Tony swallowed.

“I do,” he gave back after a few seconds. “There are a lot of beautiful sights here,” Tony said with a quick look at T’Challa who was smiling brightly at him.

“That is very good to know.”

“Oh, come on, Salem, are you deliberately keeping me from your tech?” Tony asked to break the weird tension that was hanging in the air.

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” T’Challa gave back and then finally showed Tony to one of the many workshops.

~*~*~

“You look tired,” T’Challa said and frowned.

Tony rolled his eyes at the screen.

“Well, that happens when Ross shows up and asks things of me again,” he told T’Challa and rubbed at his chest again.

The cold was really bothersome this year.

“I wish I could be there to have your back, but Klaw….” T’Challa trailed off and Tony waved him off.

“It’s alright. Protecting your land and the vibranium takes precedent.”

“That doesn’t make it okay,” T’Challa said and frowned when Tony’s hand reached up for his chest again.

“It’s nothing I haven’t dealt with before,” Tony tried to play it off but T’Challa wasn’t so easily fooled.

“But you shouldn’t have to. I should be there, have your back, be at your side. He has no right treating you the way he does and I would tell him off if I could.”

“God, don’t antagonize him,” Tony groaned. “He is not yet after you, and this is certainly not worth making an enemy out of him.”

“You are,” T’Challa gave back right before someone stormed into his office.

There was hurried talk in Wakandan before T’Challa turned back to the screen and Tony.

“I’m sorry, I have to leave. Klaw attacked another one of our facilities.”

“No worries, I understand, Simba,” Tony said a bit dazed and then T’Challa was already gone.

He wasn’t sure he had heard the ‘You are’ right, or if maybe T’Challa had said something else, and it made it hard to concentrate for the rest of the day.

~*~*~

“One package for Tony Stank,” Rhodey announced when Tony stumbled into the kitchen a few days later.

“I hate you,” Tony grumbled and looked at the package.

It was from Wakanda, T’Challa’s neat and precise handwriting spelling out his (correct) name and address.

“What is this?” Tony frowned and Rhodey shrugged.

“As if I open the post from your boyfriend,” he said and Tony chocked on air.

“He is not my boyfriend,” he protested and Rhodey laughed.

“But you want him to be, don’t even pretend. It’s okay. He wants to be too.”

“He doesn’t want to be my anything,” Tony mumbled back and then stopped dead in his tracks when he saw what was in the package.

Rhodey noticed that Tony was frozen and peered into the package as well.

“Wow,” he whistled. “He sent you vibranium.”

“He sent me vibranium,” Tony repeated and then promptly panicked. “Why would he do that? The last person who stole vibranium got eviscerated. Does he want to kill me? Is this like a death threat?” Tony asked.

“This is more like courting. Maybe a marriage proposal,” Rhodey mused when he took the vibranium out of the package. “This is quite the amount. What does he want you to do with it?”

Tony shrugged but then his gaze fell on a piece of paper.

 _‘For a new heart for you’_ was all it said and Tony showed it to Rhodey.

“What does that even mean?”

“I think he wants you to make a new arc reactor with this,” Rhodey told him and Tony felt like fainting.

“Why would he want that?”

“Vibranium is the strongest metal out there. My guess is he just wants to keep you safe.”

“I need to sit,” Tony weakly said and then promptly sat down on a chair.

This was the most expensive and thoughtful gift he had ever received.

“Courting, huh?” Tony asked Rhodey after a few minutes.

“I would say so.”

“Wow.”

“That about sums it up,” Rhodey agreed. “So what are you gonna do?”

“Build myself a new heart,” Tony retorted and got up.

Time to get to work.

~*~*~

“Tony,” T’Challa greeted him warmly when Tony stepped out of the plane and Tony felt the nerves creep back in.

He had remodeled the arc reactor with the vibranium T’Challa had sent him, but he was still half convinced that this was just some ploy to find a reason to accuse him of theft or something.

“Kitty cat,” Tony gave back and T’Challa had some trouble hiding his smile.

They exchanged the usual pleasantries while they walked towards Tony’s quarters and by the time they arrived there Tony was shaking with nerves.

“Come in for a second?” he asked when T’Challa was about to leave him to settle in and T’Challa immediately agreed.

“So, ehm, you know, thanks for the vibranium,” Tony said with his back to T’Challa, so he could unbutton his shirt in private.

“Did you find use for it?” T’Challa curiously asked and Tony turned around at that, shirt unbuttoned to show off the new reactor.

“You could say that,” he said and was proud that his voice only shook a little bit.

T’Challa was staring at him, not just the arc reactor and then said, “You are beautiful.”

“Yeah, the arc reactor looks much better now,” Tony hurriedly said before he could get his hopes up but T’Challa shook his head.

“No. I mean yes, it’s beautiful too, but you are, Tony. You are beautiful.”

“I…don’t know what this means,” Tony admitted and patted the new reactor and then waved his hand between them. “I don’t understand.”

“You weren’t dealing well with the cold,” T’Challa stated and carefully stepped closer. “Vibranium generally tends to run warm, it’s much slower to cool down. You won’t be having any more problems with that.”

“Yeah, I noticed,” Tony managed and then swallowed when T’Challa took another step towards hm. “But I mean, why?”

“Isn’t it customary to court someone in America?” T’Challa asked and tilted his head.

Tony almost laughed. “Not with gifts like this, no.”

“It should be,” T’Challa stated and then carefully lifted his hand to rest it over the reactor.

He did it slowly, giving Tony time to step out of the way, or slap his hand away, but Tony stood still, waiting for T’Challa to make contact.

“No one ever called me beautiful,” he lowly admitted when T’Challa’s hand finally rested on the reactor.

“A travesty,” T’Challa decided. “You should be told every day. Because you are.”

“You are too,” Tony whispered and T’Challa smiled at him.

“Do you mean to tell me that my very expensive courting gift pales in comparison to complimenting you?” he teased and Tony weakly chuckled.

“The gift is nice, but really, I am much easier than that.”

“You shouldn’t be. You deserve all the gifts and all the compliments.”

“And you’re the one to give them to me?” Tony asked and finally dared to look at T’Challa.

T’Challa’s face was soft and open, and he had his gaze steadily on Tony.

“Yes. If you let me,” T’Challa said and there was no hesitation in his answer.

“I would love to,” Tony breathed and then leaned up to press a kiss to T’Challa’s lips.

T’Challa’s hand slipped from his chest to his back to pull Tony closer and it was a long time before he let him go again.

“And that is the greatest gift you could give me,” T’Challa breathed against his lips and Tony felt himself blush before he leaned in for another kiss.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> You can always find me on my [tumblr](http://bloody-bee-tea.tumblr.com/)


End file.
